1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tool for resurfacing an annular end of an oil burner nozzle adaptor on which an oil burner nozzle is detachably mounted in an abutting, sealing engagement during oil burner operation.
2. Description of Related Art
An oil burner typically includes an oil pump for pumping oil under pressure through an oil delivery tube located within a blast tube in which an igniter assembly is mounted. A nozzle adaptor is tightly threaded on a downstream end of the oil delivery tube. A nozzle having an exterior thread is threaded into an interior thread formed inside the adaptor. The nozzle atomizes the pressurized oil and forms a fan-like spray which is ignited by the igniter assembly to form a burner flame.
The adaptor has an annular end for abuttingly and sealingly engaging an annular surface provided on the nozzle. If the sealing contact between the adaptor end and the nozzle surface is compromised, then the pressurized oil passing through the interiors of the adaptor and the nozzle will leak out into the blast tube. This is highly undesirable, not only in terms of inefficiency of oil burner operation, but also because leaking oil in a blast tube causes a smoky overfired condition and, in an extreme case, can cause a blast tube fire.
Experience has shown that the aforementioned sealing contact is typically compromised by a negligent homeowner or service technician who, during maintenance of the oil burner, over-tightens the nozzle on the adaptor, thereby scoring and marring the annular end of the nozzle. In many installations, the nozzle is constituted of stainless steel, and the adaptor is constituted of brass, a material softer than stainless steel. In order to prevent the aforementioned oil leakage problem, the homeowner/technician often resorts to using a wrench to seat the nozzle on the adaptor in order to be certain that a tight seal is achieved therebetween. However, the use of a wrench often leads to over-tightening of the nozzle on its adaptor which, in turn, causes the harder nozzle to dig into and mar the softer adaptor. Once the adaptor is marred--a condition all too prevalent after repeated service calls--the very oil leakage problem which was intended to be avoided occurs.
After several service calls, many adaptors are damaged beyond repair. Good maintenance dictates that a new adaptor be installed to replace the damaged one. However, the practice of installing a new adaptor is not often followed, either because of lack of replacement parts or due to sloppy work habits. Also, some oil burners have double, multi-ganged or specially designed adaptors which are not typically carried in the truck of the service technician when making a house call. Hence, adaptors may sometimes not be replaced, even by technicians having good work habits and desiring to change a damaged adaptor.